I have seen the Vegas Ghetto

Sometimes we realize the gravity of our actions, not usually at the moment, but definitely later, and how if things just unfolded slightly different, the effect that it would have on our little Monkey World.

It's our last night in Vegas, and we were celebrating the 14 year wedding anniversary of my Man's work partner. After many Cabana cocktails, it was decided that a vow renewal would be appropriate, I knew that we wouldn't have the Star Wars themed one that was proposed, but definitely thought it would be fun to celebrate a classic Vegas Wedding.
Our Cabana, the wives in the forefront, the next door cabana occupied by 10 20something guys, that guy or maybe it was another one, asked us for our cups. I think he just wanted to check out us Cougars, to see if we were on the prowl.

After more shopping at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile, and a brilliant dinner at the Italian restaurant, we decided to hit the strip and find a chapel in old Las Vegas.

Dilemma #1: There is a maximum of 5 people per cab, even if it is a minivan, its' the law. There is 6 of us. Our cabbie actually admitted he believed this was in place because then us, fares/customers, would have to take two cabs. How many people do you know travel in odd numbers? We hit the cab stop at Paris and persuaded the doorman to find us a limo so we could all travel together. Sweating like pigs, you know it is the first day of Fall, and realizing that this was perhaps not going to happen, we split up into two cabs.


Oh we were LUCKY, in our LUCKY cab.

Dilemma #2: You just KNOW we are going to lose each other, Follow that Cab, just doesn't work in Vegas as it would work, well ANYWHERE else. We had no address, as we had no idea which chapel to go to, where the chapels were, and the traffic was ridiculous because of all the construction for City Centre is underway day in and day out.

With the advice of the cabbie, not ours, we headed down the Las Vegas Blvd towards Freemont.

Dilemma #3: We had to stop, our cabbie was too good and got us past the Stratosphere in no time flat. We stopped at the 7 Eleven, after getting a phone call that a chapel had been found. Our cabbie suggested we wait for our friends in the car, he wasn't going to charge us, but we had passed our friends and had to backtrack, the easiest would be to walk back. So out we got, and Voila, we were in the Ghetto or at least the armpit of the Las Vegas Blvd.

Upon exiting the cab, we were sized up by a grown man on a bike, I don't like to assume anything but working in Gastown keeps your senses sharp, sharp to realize that a couple, carrying shopping bags, in a tourist town, late at night, with no one around, are the perfect victims, for oh you know, MUGGINGS. I have seen it happen, they bike past you, grab your purse or bags, push you down whilest they bike away, and there is NO WAY you are going to run and catch up with them, oh unless your Donovan Bailey.


Classy Vegas Hotel sign, neon lights out, missing letters or they just can't spell.


Umm, YES, I can say YUCKA to this place.


See Vegas can be cheap, $26. bucks a night.

Then we decided to head to the Stratosphere, where cabs are, perhaps our friends, or at least other tourists and people. Lucky for us, we had a couple who was definitely wigging out, stop in front of us. We slowed our pace when we realized that they were asking local looking people for cash, and we were probably going to get some flack if we said NO, you know shopping bags and all, hey once you have crack you can't really go back.

We made it to the hotel, where cabs and people were, and I had a sigh of relief. Even the Man seemed to relax a bit, and we saw our posse across the street. Turns out the chapels they went to were closed.

Basically, it didn't happen and we took pictures in a gazebo, me being the official wedding photographer.


We hopped in a cab and took the back route, where the Gentlemen's Clubs and Sex shops are two blocks long and bigger than Costco, back to our hotel.


We arrived ALIVE!

I just kept thinking if something ever happened to one or both of us, and someone didn't return home, our little monkees would be traumatized forever.

Fashion-Easty!

Who is this little Fashionista?

I remember NEVER wanting to wear pink, as I wanted to be a boy, like my Big Brother, and play hockey. I remember that we didn't have a girl's hockey league, so my Mom and Dad had mentioned ringette. My brother stated that ringette wasn't REAL hockey, so of course I wouldn't dare sign up. I lasted halfway through one ballet class, where I proceeded to cry and leave in the middle of it.

As a teenager I played basketball with fierceness, known for my elbows when battling for the ball. I liked Depeche Mode, and hung out at Shakers, Luvafair, and the Odyssey downtown. I was a cross between Mod and Punk. I liked to wear black so much that it looked like I was a permanent member of a funeral procession, I even had the black preacher hat. I had a running account with I.C.E. Mist by Joico and would turn to Aqua Net hairspray in a pinch, it worked well with my krimping iron. I would NEVER wear pink.

My little girl likes all things girly, dresses, the colour pink, and shiny shoes, she's only 2. She will have a Sissy Hissy if you don't dress her in what she prefers. Easty says cheese whenever a camera is around, and her favourite possession is her pink 'Baby' blanket, with accompanying doll of the day.

And recently she enjoyed pretend make-uping, which Grandma got her started on.


I admit to letting my hair designer cut her locks. She enjoyed every minute of it, check out that smile.


When we heard the Doctor announce, It's a Girl! I was surprised, testosterone runs rampant in both our families. My Dad was the second of eight boys, and my Man is the oldest of his three brothers.



I may have been surprised that she was a girl but I am thrilled and love my little girly girl. Maybe Easton might want to play hockey, if she does I bet she will opt for the pink Easton hockey skates instead of the black.

Who's learning the lesson here?

If I have to hear from the family, just one more time, how the kids have SO MANY TOYS & SO MANY CLOTHES, I may strangle them. Collectively or even one by one. It just makes me twinge when I am told how they themselves had only one doll, or one suitcase/drawer of clothes, and my kids have SO MUCH.

They do, I admit it, but I find it very funny when basically the people making the comments are buying the kids, well the clothes and the toys. My lovely Mom was looking after the kids for one day, and in that one day my son secured a new Batman and my daughter was cuddling a new doll. But this doll kicks when you turn the bottle. Uh huh, OK Mom!

Recently I converted the office, that was basically being used for storage, into a toy room. I try to organize it, and it just eventually becomes a disaster zone, the only thing that saves me is that I can close the door on the disaster. Isn't that a good thing though, doesn't that mean they are PLAYING with the toys if it's a disaster?

When my son was about 18 months, we bought him some Take Along Thomas the Trains. They worked brilliantly, as they were cheaper than the wooden ones, and they would attach at the magnet everytime and not repel each other, which would drive my boy to tears of frustration when they wouldn't work IMMEDIATELY!



When his sister came home from the hospital, she brought a gift of Thomas trains to her big brother. He kept kissing her and playing with the trains, he was so enamoured with her because of it. Jackson has played with those trains for almost two years, he loved yellow Duncan and orange Rusty, as the chips in their paint can attest to that, but now nothing.



He's moved on to Superheros and the next thing to go is the Cars, I can feel it.


Since my husband also complains of the toys, I informed him that we could trade in the trains. He gave me a funny look, and asked if I was sure, he mentioned that some of those trains were hard to get and that Jackson, may be into it at the prospect of new toys, but when it gets to the time to give them away, it may be different story.


I gave the man the whole, OhMyGod with the hand flick, and reminded him of WHO complains about the toys buddy!?

So I gathered up all the toys and decided to have a chat with my boy. I informed him that we could go to a store and trade in his toys for new toys. He immediately said yes, and we packed up the trains & stations and away we went. Men WHAT do they KNOW? Hey this was also a good lesson to learn, I mean make room for a new toy by getting rid of the ones that you don't use, simple but yet valuable. Jackson handed his trains & stations to the toy assesor and told us it would take about 10 minutes for him to go through and give us a total.

And then, all of a sudden, I had this GIANT LUMP in my throat. I think I kind of hoped that Jackson would throw a Class V tantrum and refuse, or maybe I wasn't expecting this lack of disregard for the trains, the way he just let them go with no emotion. I mean the trains, the trains that we bought in Seattle when we went to my SIL's wedding and they were hidden in his tux, the time we hunted high and low for Duncan at the cabin, or the one popcorn car we found when Jackson decided that popcorn with butter was a GOOD thing, or the ones that he got from Easty when we brought her home from the hospital, or the ones that Grandpa bought him for Christmas, OHMyGOD this was a MISTAKE!

Jackson was halfway to the store section and I just couldn't ask for them back now, if he didn't care, why should I?

Dammit, I guess I am the Sentimental Hoarding Collector of the family, who doesn't want to let go of the trains that one little boy just LOVED so much, or maybe its that I don't want my little boy to grow up, this fast, so soon, i'm so not ready.

Easty can "Shut The Front Door!"

OK I am admitting a new reality show, SYTYCD Canada. There was nothing on when I was doing laundry, well except the SYTYCDC, so I decided to watch it to see what all the hype was about, it seems that its always on, but that may be the american version? I mean my girlfriend just recently confessed that its the one show her husband and her can watch together, really?! OK let's see this magic!

Then well Easty got into it...



See how she works that blanket, and I must confess that the song and dance routine is completely AGE APPROPRIATE! I don't know if it was the 61" or the need to groove to the music, but E was really feeling it!

I learned a new saying from the former-male-cheerleader-now-finalist:

"Shut The Front Door!" I guess its supposed to be "Shut The F@#$ Up!
But seriously, E can shut the front door now!

I likey!

Just in case you were wondering, umm that's my Mom's TV because my washer wasn't delivered Monday, even though it was wrapped up and ready to go at the warehouse, it just didn't leave the warehouse, hence delaying delivery to this Saturday, well hopefully! Home Depot, delivery, not so quick!

CaBOON Birthdays photo montage

I guess it wasn't that bad! Notice the SMILE!

The Batman Jammies with Cape

The BEST $13. I ever spent!



Who knew that it would be found at a store called Bargain One in the small town of Grand Forks!

CaBOON Birthdays

Jackson was born in late July... and that is when we are usually at the cabin in Christina Lake, BC. Unfortunately there is no quaint baker there, making cakes for special occasions. Jackson doesn't care, he just wants the CAAAAKKKKEEE!

As a mom I feel the need to try a little harder, so I drove the 20 minutes (watching for deer) to Grand Forks and decided to hit ALL the grocery stores, BUY LOW, OVERWAITEA, EXTRA FOODS...none at Buy Low, Extra Foods would take an already pre-made cake and write his name on it, but Overwaitea actually had cake designs. There was even BATMAN! I was so excited but it was 9am and I wanted it today. I asked the bakery girl and she took one look at Jackson (who wouldn't let me leave the cabin without him/also wanted to make sure he liked whatever I got) and told me they "had to for such a cute guy's 4th birthday!". YES! I just had to come back at 1pm in 38 degree heat. OK! Done! Drive back to the the lake, 30 minutes this time because of deer not deciding whether or not to cross Hwy 3.

12:30pm on the most stinking hot day yet at the cabin, and I grab my wallet and Jackson and head out. I was early (no deer) and decided to stop at the local Bargain One store, SCORED Black Batman Jammies with a cape as a gift, now onto the cake.

As soon as I see the girl, she says, "Oh I was trying to call you....ah it didn't quite work out" "I won't charge you for the design and just charge you for a plain cake". I am thinking how bad is it?

Well you decide.

VonJesson Daycare Exchange

DAYCARE. The word sends shivers down working moms spines. Until you start looking for it, its just unimaginable what we moms in need of daycare have to go through. One of my friends is a stay-at-home mom, and she has said she just can't relate because it is such a non-issue with her. I know that her eyes glaze over when others start talking about it and I know that she has almost half fallen asleep whilst I was complaining about it on the phone to her. I understand though, until you go through it, you just can't relate.

Two daycare experiences later, one good, one not so good, and one friend stuck in a bind...and the VonJesson Daycare Exchange was formed. To be honest I was tentative, not because the Vondys aren't great kids, they are the best, but really, could I handle 5 children and still maintain my sanity? I didn't want to be one of those non-licenced places that put their own children ahead of the ones they are watching.

What if it didn't work out? This was my running/race partner! We workout all the time at the gym together! Who would I give weird looks to as the Cyclefit instructor made weird HOOTING owl sounds at us! Most of all... I could lose a good friend. Luckily we discussed everything, and then we discussed it more, and then I also realized that the Vondy side was also concerned if this went bad, it could go really BAD! We joked that we would both be depressed and gain a gazillion pounds!

But it DIDN'T and it turned out to be even BETTER for our friendship! PHEW! The benefits are endless for the kids and for us!

Too many people have approached me astounded or shocked that we are doing this then they sneakily tell me they wish they could do it, and do you have any recommendations!?!?

Here are a few...

Well to start off, make sure your children all get along. Kids, adults, animals all have personalities and sometimes they may clash. Make sure that you are not forcing the situation on a child, just because YOU want it to work it may not help you in the long run. Anything forced is never a good idea. I knew the Vondys for almost 2 years, so there was no hiding or faking when it came to how they are, I already knew they got along.

Next notice how the other parent ...well, parents. Is it your style, how would you handle the situation. If you don't respect what they do with their children, why would you let them handle your children's predicaments?!?! Also, if they DON'T deal with a situation, that can also create other issues later.

Now both of us have taken them to classes, to the grocery store, to Costco, to the toy store. They are all great together and its just like a big family. I laugh when people are amazed and stunned! My favourite is when I go to the grocery store, and because J & E are blond, and the Vondys are blond, they all look related. I always get mistaken for the Nanny (not because of the laugh), more because of the long black hair. How in the world could I have blond, blue-eyed kids?!?!

Another great bonus is that they really bring out the best in each other. Let's face it, its more fun in a group to do crafts, music, and games. The boys really love to play superheros and have almost become inseparable, the girls are all girly and now Easty is SO into dressing up in dresses. They gravitate towards each other and it is so noticeable when we go out to other playdates and parks.

Hey, don't get me wrong, some days are not perfect, it can get loud, and they sometimes get a little nutty and goofy, but really it's never been a nightmare. The worst is when I was having trouble with Jackson not being able to get up, and he wouldn't eat and the proceed to have hissy fit in creative moves/dance class, but that was Jackson with me, not the Vondys! The worst thing that has happened is that they all want to sit beside each other and there isn't enough room on the couch!

I highly recommend doing a daycare exchange. Being at work and knowing that you can totally trust the person taking care of your kids, is so calming. I am myself and can express my feelings about every situation, and its nice to know that I really DON'T have to do that ALL THE TIME, and that someone is loving and caring for my children like I would. As I love and care for the Vondys like they are my own.

COMMUNICATION is the key to every relationship. Talk about everything, it works in marriage, friendships, work, all relationships. We are never afraid to talk about anything, and we don't get defensive or easily offended. It will never work if you don't discuss things, or expect the other person to read your body language or mind! Really is just logical to communicate it!

The tough part will be when Jackson goes to Kindergarten and the VonJesson Daycare Exchange will have to end, as they are in different school en catchments.

I guess we will just have to enjoy the moments we have now!